Outside Compton Courthouse, Rudy Coronado, surrounded by his family and attorney, makes a brief statement to the media. His wife, Carol Coronado, was in court for arraignment in the death of their three children. May 29, 2014. (Brad Graverson / Staff Photographer)

A woman accused of stabbing her three young daughters to death pleaded not guilty to murder charges Thursday that could result in the death penalty.

Carol Ann Coronado, 30, brought into a Compton courtroom in a wheelchair, never appeared to look back at her family sitting behind her during her arraignment. Her husband, Rudy Coronado, leaned forward in his second-row chair and sobbed, placing his forehead on his arms and wiping tears from his eyes and nose with a black bandana.

Carol Coronado spoke softly as Judge Ricardo Ocampo asked her if she understood her rights. “Yes, your honor,” she said. Ocampo ordered that Coronado remain in jail without bail and return to court on July 3.

Later, outside the courthouse, Rudy Coronado, dressed in a black shirt and black pants, stepped to a microphone and told reporters, “I just want to thank everybody for their support. Everybody.”

He will bury his daughters on Monday.

Coronado’s attorney, Steve Allen, said she has expressed remorse and is grieving the loss of her children. He said her defense possibly will focus on postpartum depression, although he could not say if she suffered depression after her third child was born less than three months ago.

“It’s just something the family wanted me to make people aware about,” Allen said. “I don’t know how it’s going to essentially play out in this case. “

Carol Coronado is charged with three counts of murder in the May 20 slayings at her home in the 1000 block of West 223rd Street, an unincorporated community between Harbor Gateway and Carson. Her husband was outside working on his pickup truck when her mother, Julie Piercey, discovered the grisly scene inside.

The children — Sophia, 21/2; Yazmine, 16 months; and Xenia, 2 months — each suffered stab wounds, although the cause of death has not been released. After she allegedly killed them, authorities say Coronado lined their bodies up on her bed and tried to kill herself.

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Coronado spent several days in the hospital until she was transferred to county jail Tuesday. Her attorney said she suffered a punctured lung when she stabbed herself.

She also is charged with attempting to kill her mother, who grabbed the kitchen knife from her and took it outside. Prosecutors have not said what Coronado allegedly did to her mother, who was in the audience Thursday and did not appear to be injured.

The murder charges carry a special circumstance allegation that Coronado committed multiple murders. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty.

But Allen reiterated statements from Rudy Coronado’s family members in recent days that he did not want his wife to be prosecuted. Instead, he wants her to receive psychological help.

“He supports her 100 percent and just wants to be there for her every step of the way,” Allen said. “He loves her and supports her and knows this isn’t her and there’s something else that caused this. We’ll get to the bottom of it at some point.”

Funeral services for the three girls will be held Monday at St. Anthony’s Church in Gardena. Visitation is set for Sunday at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes.